Scoreless Sanches: Brian Sanches ran his season-opening scoreless streak to 9 2/3 innings after entering with a man on first and no outs in the sixth,. He closed out the inning with a big assist from Chris Coghlan. Sanches walked two to load the bases with two out before Coghlan made a diving catch of a Brooks Conrad liner to right-center. In a pinch: Wes Helms' pinch-hit single in the seventh put runners on first and second and one out for the Marlins, who went ahead on John Buck's RBI single.

Our friend Jorge Costales offers an interesting take on the Marlins and how they might improve their defense. He thinks Dan Uggla is a chip they can cash in for a good reliever and the subsequent move of Chris Coghlan (or in my opinion Emilio Bonifacio) makes them more proficient in the field. If the Marlins continue performing like they have the last three weeks, I don?t think Uggla is going anywhere until after the season. He may not be Roberto Alomar at second, but his bat is way too important to this offense as constituted.

Error-free: The Marlins played error-free baseball for the first time since June 10 at Philadelphia. They managed to avoid their first run of eight straight games with a miscue since June 12-19, 2007. Six pack: Relievers Tim Wood and Grant Balfour each walked three batters in the seventh inning, and neither team scored. Both walked the leadoff batter, induced a double play, and walked two more. Wood completed his half of the seventh, but the Rays summoned Joaquin Benoit to close out the inning.

Speedy Stanton: Mike Stanton is known for tape-measure home runs, but he showed a different dimension in legging out an infield single on a bouncer to third in the second inning. He easily beat Evan Longoria's throw. Stanton also hit his fifth homer in the past eight games. It was his 10th of the season and increased his hitting streak to eight games. Stanton also drove in an insurance run with a sacrifice fly. Bounce in his favor: Chris Coghlan, mired in a 3-for-29 skid, broke out with two hits.

Extra, extra: In addition to saving two first-inning runs with a diving catch in the left-center field gap, Chris Coghlan doubled in the bottom of the first. Last season, Coghlan did not log his first extra-base hit until May 10 in his 105th at-bat. His first 21 hits were singles. Special K: Jayson Werth accounted for two of Anibal Sanchez's seven strikeouts and grounded out in his other turn against him. Sanchez and the Marlins' other four starters – Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, Javier Vazquez and Chris Volstad – all have owned Werth over his career, holding him to 11 hits in 91 at-bats (.121)

Marlins All-Star shortstop Hanley Ramirez had the worst April in his major league career. He hit .200 for the month, lowest since he hit .279 last April. Ramirez did not have a home run in April, but he had one in the first inning Sunday to end a dry spell that stretched back to Sept. 6 of last season, in the second game of a double header at Philadelphia. It was a homerless streak that includes the 64 at-bats he had in 24 spring training training games in March. Ramirez played his first full season in 2006, and here are his April averages: .304 in 2006; .364 in 2008; .324 in 2008; .289 in 2009; and .279 last year.

Double dipping: Gaby Sanchez closed out his first half going 1-for-4 with his team-leading 23rd double, which accounted for his team's fifth run off Wandy Rodriguez. Sanchez earlier in the game also knocked in a run with a groundout, giving him his first two-RBI game since June 11. Just 10 of Sanchez's 50 RBI have come over his last 28 games. Select company: For the second time in his career and first since Opening Day 2009, Emilio Bonifacio had at least three hits and stole three bases.